Economics outlook meeting set for March 3 at Monsanto

Gothenburg will host one of the ninth annual Cornhusker Economics Outlook meetings that will focus on the agriculture outlook and management decisions for farmers and ranchers.

The series, scheduled in nine locations, is offered by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension and the Department of Agricultural Economics and is available free to participants with the series support of the Nebraska Corn Board and the Great Western Bank along with several local sponsors.

The outlook meetings are scheduled for a concise, fast-paced discussion of crop, livestock, policy and land outlook.

Several people will present at the meeting. They are:

Kate Brooks, extension livestock economist at UNL: Brooks will provide outlook and analysis for beef and other livestock producers. Brooks’ expertise is in market analysis and production economics. She recently led a study of livestock industry trends in Nebraska.

Cory Walters, a new Extension crop economist at UNL: Walters is new to Nebraska. His expertise is in crop marketing and risk management, with substantial research on crop marketing and crop insurance strategies and decisions.

Walters brings experience from both Kentucky and a farm background in Montana to his new role in Nebraska. He will discuss the outlook for corn, soybeans and wheat to help producers make sound production, marketing and risk management decisions.

Brad Lubben, extension policy specialist at UNL: Lubben will provide perspectives on the policy environment in Washington and the long-awaited farm bill. With the efforts of Congress in January and early February, producers finally appear ready to focus on farm program decisions instead of continuing deliberations. Lubben will discuss the policy outlook and program alternatives to help producers effectively combine farm programs, crop insurance, and marketing strategies for success.

Local UNL extension educators will provide additional input during the outlook meetings with a discussion of current land and leasing economics. With the recent climb of land prices and rental rates running into declining crop price and profitability projections for 2014, producers will need to push an even sharper pencil on land decisions and production plans. This presentation will assess current developments and decisions for producers in land and leasing economics.

This outlook agenda is packaged into a 2-hour format to provide producers the best available information and send them home to ready to make 2014 management and marketing decisions. The series runs from March 3-7 and varies in time by location.

Although there is no cost to participants, pre-registration is encouraged to plan for facilities, refreshments, and materials.

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